Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, above, isn’t known to pass up an opportunity to shine in a big game. His team has a big one Sunday in Denver against Kyle Orton, a former teammate, and the Kansas City Chiefs. Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post

After the Broncos march down the field by mixing the run and the pass, why do they get conservative on offense and always run the ball on first and second down?

Kevin, White Rock, British Columbia

Mike Klis: You’re on to something here, Kevin. After their first two series at Buffalo, the Broncos did nothing but run on first and second down on their next four possessions. All four were followed by third down and a fourth-down punt.

The Broncos had 10 plays on first down in the first half. They ran the ball on all 10. In the second half, they adjusted. They had four first-down plays on their first series and passed on three, including a 17-yard touchdown strike from Tim Tebow to Daniel Fells.

From there, the game got out of whack. Denver’s defense had way too much bend against the run, although it stiffened and forced field goals. And then Tebow started throwing dangerously high. In one stretch starting with his final possession of the third quarter, Tebow threw picks on four of five series, including back-to-back interceptions on first down.

Pocket rocket. It’s apparent that the Broncos are trying to make Tebow a pocket passer. I have seen many opportunities for him to pull back and hit the hole seconds later for an open running lane. Why is the coaching staff so adamant about changing what worked?

John, Montana

Mike: Tebow has had two bad games — against Detroit and Buffalo — and both times people want to blame the coaches. The Bills’ defense, which had been dreadful until the Broncos arrived, started selling out on the Denver running game in the first half. Remember, the Broncos ran the ball on first down every time in the first half.

To become an effective NFL quarterback, Tebow will have to execute in the pocket. He knows that. I don’t think the four picks were bad for Tebow’s progression. One of my favorite mottos in sports or life is, “You never know how far you can go until you go too far.”

Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Tom Brady — the undisputed top three quarterbacks in the league — had zero starts as rookies. Zero. The game against Buffalo was Tebow’s 13th NFL start. He’s a long way from where he’s going to be. Mistakes and bad games are part of growing up as an NFL quarterback.

Gas tank low? During their six-game win streak, the opponents seemed to be more tired than the Broncos in the fourth quarter. The last two games, against New England and Buffalo, the opposite seems to be the case. Have Denver’s Von Miller, Rahim Moore, Quinton Carter, Chris Harris and Or- lando Franklin hit the rookie wall?

Fred Waiss, Prairie du Chien, Wis.

Mike: That’s a fair comment and question. It was reported — cough, cough — that superior conditioning may have been a factor in the Broncos winning so many games late, particularly with Tebow, who — and there is no hype about this, only fact — is the best-conditioned player in the game.

The rookies you mentioned have been humbled recently. I give Miller a pass, though, because of the cast on his right hand. You can’t be an effective pass rusher with only one hand. NFL offensive linemen are too good. Elvis Dumervil wasn’t an effective pass rusher in 2008 when he had to play the entire season with a cast on his hand. And he wasn’t effective in the first half of this season because of shoulder injuries. Dumervil has proven to be a terrific pass rusher when healthy.

Wake-up call. Will the Denver defense wake up in time to stop the Chiefs? And will the Denver special teams get their act together? The Buffalo game was their worst game of the season.

Rod Alt, Surprise, Ariz.

Mike: Special teams are guaranteed to be better this weekend because the game will be played in Denver, where the altitude helps the kickers. Matt Prater should get some touchbacks and Britton Colquitt should get more hang time on his punts.

As for the defense, I’m not so sure. It needs veteran safety Brian Dawkins to not only play, but play without worrying about his neck. That won’t be easy considering he’s essentially missed the past three games because of his injury.

Snooze, you lose. Even with 75,000 fans at their home game against New England, the Broncos sleepwalked through a 41-23 loss. What happened to home-field advantage for the Broncos?

Paul Currie-Mills, Grand Junction

Mike: I doubt energy will be the problem Sunday against the Chiefs. To me, the Broncos’ problem wherever they play is that they’re a play-from-ahead offense and their defense hasn’t been good enough the last two weeks to keep them ahead for long.

Granted, all those offensive three-and-out series for the Broncos’ offense have been the Denver defense’s enemy. But let’s see how it plays out Sunday. Every game takes on a life of its own. You can’t manufacture enthusiasm. It just kind of happens. Kyle Orton playing for “the other guys” will get the fans stoked early. It’s up to the Broncos to keep their fans juiced.

Tebow isn’t in Rodgers’ neighborhood

Why is it so difficult for the Broncos to design and use short pass patterns, such as quick slants? Wouldn’t that give Tim Tebow some Wes Welker-like options?

Craig, London

Mike Klis: Did you see Aaron Rodgers, right, play for the Packers on Christmas against the Bears? On his short passes, the ball was out of his hand … boom! Gone.

Tebow has to be more consistent at delivering the ball quickly and accurately before John Fox and Mike McCoy become more confident that he can execute a quick slant throw, which has higher risk than people think because it can require throwing through a tight window.

Mike Klis was with The Denver Post from Jan. 1, 1998 before leaving in 2015 to join KUSA 9News. He covered the Rockies and Major League Baseball until the 2005 All-Star break, when he was asked to start covering the Broncos.

Four assistant basketball coaches at Division I schools and a top Adidas executive were among 10 people charged Tuesday with crimes including bribery and fraud as part of a wide-ranging federal investigation into corruption in college basketball.

CenturyLink, the telecommunications company that ended its sponsorship agreement with Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall because of his protests during the national anthem last year, said it will not terminate its agreement with current client Emmanuel Sanders.